Virat Kohli Crosses 9000-Run Mark, Sets a New Record in IPL History
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has revolutionized the way cricket is played, viewed, and celebrated in India. This T20 game, since its inception in 2008 has not only brought together the best cricketing talents from across the globe, but also created a dynamic environment where players battle it out against each other to emerge triumphant, not just for their franchises but also showcase their cricket talent to the world.
One name, and probably the only one that reckons on top of everyone’s mind is the hallmark of Indian cricket – Virat Kohli. A measure of absolute gold standard, he has been redefining what T20 cricket is all about, match after match and one game at a time. This article entails his long list of achievements, and the new record Virat Kohli has created in the last league match of IPL 2025, when the Royal Challengers Bengaluru took on the Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the qualifiers.
The Man, The Mighty Force
Virat Kohli was appointed as a full-time RCB skipper only in 2013. But he got his first taste of leadership during a match against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2011. He is till date the youngest player to have been appointed as a captain for a leading IPL team, at just 22 years of age and has also been the franchise’s longest-serving captain so far.
Kohli has captained RCB for a total of 143 games in the IPL. His aggressive style and passion became the hallmark of RCB’s play under his leadership. Virat Kohli has made history for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 and reached 9000 runs for his franchise in the last league match played by his side at the Ekana cricket stadium in Lucknow.
The former Indian cricket team captain is the first player to get past this incredible feat. If this was not sufficient to satiate his hunger for the game, the run-machine also slammed a half-century in just 27 balls and showed the crowd why he is the phenomenon that people claim he is. Let us explore some of the unbelievable records set by him through the discourse of the cricket years.
Virat Kohli IPL Runs
Kohli achieved another big feat. Kohi is now the first batter to cross 600 five times in IPL. Virat is RCB’s highest-ever run-getter in history, combining statistics from IPL and now-defunct Champions League T20. He has surpassed this 600-figure milestone five times – in 2013, 2016, 2023, 2024, and now in 2025. No other batter has matched this level of consistency, as evident from his numbers.
In the list of most runs for a team in Men’s T20, Virat Kohli sits as the crowned king on top with 8606 runs, way ahead of all his other contemporaries. The second position belongs to the five-time Mumbai Indians champion and former Test captain of India, Rohit Sharma. He has amassed 6957 runs for the MI team during his tenure in IPL since 2008.
Prior to the penultimate league match of IPL 2025, Virat Kohli has played in 279 matches and from the 270 innings batted, he had scored 8,976 runs at an average of 39.54 and a strike rate of 133.49. Kohli had scored eight centuries and 64 fifties, with the personal best score of an unbeaten 113. These statistical records also include his run tally of the now-defunct Champions League T20 tournaments.
- As far as the Indian Premier League exclusively is concerned, he is the highest run-getter with 8606 runs in 265 matches and 257 innings at an average of 39.65, with 8 centuries and 63 fifties.
- In the 15 matches for RCB in Champions League T20, Virat has added a whopping 424 runs at an average of 38.54, with a strike rate of 150.35.
- The two half-centuries and a personal best score of 84 made him the franchise’s top run-getter in the competition, as long as it was operational.
- In the IPL 2025 campaign, with the fate of all teams resting on the qualifier performances, Virat Kohli has been sensational through the league clashes.
- He has emerged as the top-scoring batsman for his RCB franchise with 548 runs from 12 innings, at an average of over 60. His strike rate of 145 and the seven half-centuries coupled with the highest score of 73 not out are enough to prove his calibre as a flawless athlete.
- During his scintillating knock, Kohli also broke David Warner’s existing record for hitting the most fifties in the IPL by smashing his 63rd half-century of the tournament since IPL 2008 – the highest in the tournament’s history.
- Virat Kohli, the chase-master, remains the only player to represent a single franchise in every IPL season, all for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru throughout the 18 editions.
- As the proud holder of the record for knocking the most fifty-plus scores in the Indian Premier League’s trajectory, he has gone past the milestone 50-run mark a total of 71 times in the long-standing presence of the tournament, having scored 63 fifties and 8 centuries.
Conclusion
Virat Kohli, who has plied his trade for RCB since the inaugural season of the IPL in 2008, has scored 8,606 runs for the franchise in the IPL, along with 424 runs in the now-defunct Champions League T20. As the most prolific batter in the IPL history, he has accumulated 4188 runs in T20 International matches, taking his run tally in T20Is to over 13, 400.
Virat Kohli’s sheer dominance in the IPL continues to grow, and his never-ending achievements year on year add further to his legendary status in the game. With the IPL 2025 coming to an end, fans will certainly expect some gob smacking and match-winning performances from the RCB veteran.
FAQs on Virat Kohli in IPL
1) When did Virat Kohli make IPL captaincy debut?
Virat Kohli became a captain for RCB in 2011, the youngest in IPL history.
2) How many runs has Virat Kohli scored in IPL?
Virat Kohli has scored 8606 runs in IPL and 424 in CLT20 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, taking his T20 runs total to 9030.
3) Who is the highest run scorer in IPL?
Virat Kohli is the highest ever run scorer in Indian Premier League, with 8606 runs.
